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‘Protect human rights of Mentally Challenged Persons’
● Mr Dan Taylor
The Executive Secretary of MindFreedom Ghana, non-governmental organisation, Mr Dan Taylor, has called for concerted efforts to protect Mentally Challenged Persons (MCPs) across the country against increasing human rights violations.
At an event to commemorate this year’s Mental Health Day in Accra on Tuesday, he described the incidences of human rights violations as a ‘crisis’ despite provisions within the Mental Health Act 846, 2012 which guarantees the rights and freedoms of mentally ill persons.
“Human rights violations unfortunately continue to negatively impact mental health. Abuses including shackling, flogging, forced fasting, chaining and detaining people in obscure places continue to affect treatment of persons with mental health conditions in Ghana and has come under intense international scrutiny.
Having good mental health is a universal human right and everyone deserves to live in an environment where mental health is protected to ensure a healthier and more inclusive world for everyone,” he urged.
On the theme; “Mental Health is a Universal Human Right”, this year’s WMHD provides an opportunity for people and communities to unite in improving knowledge, raise awareness and drive actions that promote and protect everyone’s mental health as a universal human right.
Mr Taylor noted that having a mental health condition should in no way deprive a person of their human rights or to exclude them from decisions about their own health.
He called for increased sensitisation and advocacy among all stakeholders to change ill attitudes and raise awareness on the rights of people with mental health conditions across the country.
“People with mental health conditions should be able to file complaints in cases of human rights violations. There is no gainsaying that mental health services need to be linked to services and support in the community, enabling people living with mental health conditions to access educational, employment, social service and housing opportunities on an equal basis with others.”
The promotion of human rights in mental health, according to the Executive Secretary further called for increased investment in mental health at the national level.
“The depth of neglect of mental health over the years means that the government needs to dedicate more of the health budget to mental health and establish the mental health levy in line with the mental health policy.
Government should also place modern psychotropic medicines on the Essential Medicines List and place it under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) while making sure that mental health workforce at each level of the health care system were developed and trained to ensure that all people have access to good quality mental health services that promote recovery and respect for human rights,” he advocated.
By Abigail Annoh
The Dzidula Pink Foundation, a new organisation dedicated to cancer awareness, early detection, and patient support, has been officially launched in Accra, with a passionate call for national commitment to fighting the disease. The launch event, held last week Friday, carried the theme: “Beyond the diagnosis: A future of restoration, care and courage.”
Speaking at the event, Madam Abena Brigidi, founder and CEO of Nimed Capital Limited, emphasised that cancer remains one of the most devastating health challenges facing families across the country. “Cancer does not discriminate—it affects mothers, fathers, daughters, and sons. It drains families emotionally and financially, and behind every statistic is a human story and a future suddenly thrown into uncertainty,” she said.
Sharing her personal encounters with cancer, having lost both her husband and father to the disease, Madam Brigidi highlighted the emotional, financial, and physical scars left behind. “I stand here not just as a speaker, but as a witness to what cancer can take away,” she stated. “I have watched loved ones fight bravely, and I have felt the deep pain that loss leaves behind.”
She stressed that awareness and early detection are critical to reducing deaths, noting that many Ghanaians still lack access to proper screening, reliable information, and adequate treatment. She appealed to healthcare professionals, corporate institutions, policymakers, the media, and the general public to join hands in the fight. “Early detection saves lives. Your support today can lead to someone’s healing tomorrow,” she said.
Madam Brigidi further called for collective responsibility to sustain the foundation’s mission. “To our medical professionals, we need your expertise. To corporate partners, your resources. To the media, your voice. To policymakers, your support. And to the public, your compassion,” she urged. She also insisted that breast cancer awareness should not be limited to annual campaigns, saying, “Breast cancer awareness must not be seasonal.”
Mrs Diana Fafa Gozo, founder of the Dzidula Pink Foundation, shared her own cancer journey, describing the shock of diagnosis, the fear that followed, and the difficult path through treatment. Her experience transformed her pain into purpose and inspired her to create a foundation to ensure no cancer patient walks alone.
Mrs Gozo explained that many patients struggle not only with treatment costs but also with emotional resilience. She outlined the foundation’s initiatives, which include awareness and early detection campaigns, patient support funds, community outreach, and survival support circles. “This foundation is my offering of gratitude, courage, and compassion and a reminder that no one should walk the cancer journey alone,” she concluded.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
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The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) says it will deploy teams of Public Health Officers, members of its Sanitation Taskforce, and labourers, including sweepers and janitors, across all sub-metros to support the third National Sanitation Day exercise.
It explained that these teams will be equipped with waste collection trucks, tippers, and other tools to help with desilting, refuse collection, and transporting waste to approved disposal sites.
The AMA reminded residents that failing to comply with the sanitation directive or refusing to participate in communal labour is an offence.
It said offenders risk a fine of up to 100 penalty units, imprisonment between 30 days and six months, or both, with repeat offenders liable to additional daily penalties.
It urged all residents, traders, transport operators, market women, shop owners, landlords, tenants, and businesses to actively participate in the exercise.
The AMA said it counts on everyone’s collective responsibility to keep Accra clean, liveable, and resilient, especially as the city approaches Christmas and the New Year.
By: Jacob Aggrey
